A 4th of July Spread So Good You Might Forget the Country’s Falling Apart
Ft. a genius no-churn ice cream hack—and a built-in chef’s snack
When Gigging Season wrapped up a month ago, I was such an anxious bean, unable to immediately come down from such a heightened stretch. But after a magical orchestral residency in Monterrey, some gallivanting around Mexico City, and a killer holiday weekend back in NYC, I’m finally starting to feel zen and loosey-goosey again! Summer has officially begun, and there’s nothing like summer in the city.
With where our country is at and where it’s headed, it doesn’t feel like there’s a whole lot to celebrate right now. But I believe that seeking joy—especially when things feel bleak—is an act of defiance. So I took the Declaration of Independence’s unalienable right to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” personally.
The headliner of the weekend was throwing a rooftop 4th of July BBQ. Other highlights included: beta-testing the night before with midnight pizza and wine on the roof, catching up with a few beloved tenured friends who were visiting, playing rec league soccer, and a quintessential NYer staycation beach day at the Rockaways.
The BBQ went absolutely crazy. Great vibes, great food, fireworks dancing over the East River with the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop, beer in hand, and bopping to the all-American classics American Boy and Party in the USA—natural picks for my songs of the week.
The Spread
Food
Caesar salad
Focaccia
Tomato galette
Carne asada tacos
Grilled corn with sambal sesame butter
Ceviche tostadas with chipotle mayo
Hot dogs
Kettle chips
Drinks
Wine
Beer
Arnold palmers
Chicha morada (an incredible Peruvian bev made with purple corn and warm spices like cinnamon and clove—delish.)
Dessert
Cookies and cream ice cream
Lemon bars
Cherry pie
The Ice Cream That Stole the Show
The whole menu slapped, but today I’m sharing the MVP of the evening: salted cookies and cream no-churn ice cream. I’m coming at you with another Molly Baz banger because she’s literally the most talented recipe developer I’ve come across—she’s a golden retriever but simultaneously brilliant and creative—delivering home run after home run.
What makes this recipe a winner? It turns out that you can make ice cream at home that rivals Caffe Panna’s (best ice cream in the city and it ain’t close) signature “cookies ‘n panna” ice cream without an ice cream machine. Similar to Claire Saffitz’s strawberry-rhubarb crumble, this one also belongs on the Mount Rushmore (sticking to the America theme, I guess) of low-effort → high-payoff desserts.
Why it works:
Salt + vanilla = balance that makes the Oreo flavor pop
Mascarpone = creaminess + a subtle tang
Sweetened condensed milk = caramel notes
Whipped cream = airiness and body
And the kicker: the recipe calls for 31 Oreos, and a standard pack has 33, which means two extra for the chef. A built-in chef’s snack is brilliant.
Let’s get into it.
Salted Cookies and Cream No Churn Ice Cream
Ingredients:
31 Oreo cookies (about 12 ounces)
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tsp kosher salt
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 cups chilled heavy cream (16 ounces)
Directions:
Crack open 6 oreo cookies and scrape out the cream centers (you can eat or discard the cream). Place the cookies (without cream) in a resealable plastic bag and smash until very finely ground—like the size of drip coffee grinds. Place the ground oreos in a large bowl and stir in the entire contents of 14 ounce can condensed milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 4 ounces mascarpone cheese until well combined and speckled.
Add the remaining 25 cookies to the bag (cream filling and all) and lightly bash to break them into ½- ish pieces
In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip 2 cups heavy cream until medium peaks form (the whip cream should stand up and hold a peak off the tines of your whisk—don’t over whip to the point of turning the cream grainy. It should look pillowy and smooth.
Using a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture until mostly no streaks remain. Add all of the remaining crushed cookies except for one handful (those will go on top) and stir gently a few more times to incorporate.
Scrape the contents into a 9 x 5” loaf pan. Top with the reserved crushed cookies. Freeze overnight or until very firm (this will take at least 12 hours).
Scoop and serve!! Cover with plastic wrap and keep frozen.
Mid-Year Check-In: What’s In / What Needs Work
This week at work, I drafted a mid-year update email for our listserv, reflecting on what we've accomplished so far and what's ahead in the second half of the year. It inspired me to do the same in my personal life—taking stock of what’s been serving me and where I could do a better job of locking in.
In:
Guatemalan worry dolls: The OG bestie, Daniella, brought them back from Guatemala as a souvenir, and they now live under my pillow, protecting me from nightmares and nighttime anxiety. Honestly shocked they haven’t Venmo requested me for emotional labor—those dolls are doing WORK.
Gua sha: Jawline = snatched
Nighttime skincare routine: Face = even-toned, hydrated, moisturized, firm, dare I say… radiant?
Making my bed in the mornings: Makes me feel like I accomplished something before leaving the house, giving the illusion that I have my life together
Sleep: I was eating like it was my full-time job in Mexico, and now I’m back home sleeping like it’s my full-time job—paying for the sleep debt I accrued over the last 6 months
Food adventures galore: 76 new recipes cooked, 135 restaurants tried this year, yet still a bit peckish
Needs work:
Switching my exercise schedule to the daytime: My goal for today was to start my workout earlier than I did the day before, which I technically achieved, but it was at 11:36pm, beating the night before by 2 min when I worked out at 11:38pm… progress?
Reading: Started Shrill by Lindy West this week—funny, body-positive, biting but light, and the first book I’ve picked up in 5 months… I think it’s a sign of getting my capacity back that I’m able to hold space for digesting new content, nature is healing <3
Dating: I hate dating so much, but I think it could be healthy to put myself out there more and lean into the girlhood journey of it all and “turn my light on” or whatever… bleh
That damn pull-up: Why is it simply so hard??
TLDR life is good, nature is healing, and cookies and cream ice cream is king.
I’m channeling the Pomodoro Technique I learned in Monterrey: progress happens in moments of pause. I’ve been wrestling with how to balance rest and productivity this summer—and the reminder is this: rest is productive. Let’s keep these good times rolling.
Feeling like a [chef’s] snack,
Yael 🍦✨